Foods from animals, vegetables which haven't been washed properly, raw foods like eggs and meat or fish can all have germs on them or in them which can cause food poisoning if they are not handled properly.

These are some of the most common bacteria;

Salmonella (sal-mon-ella)

Campylobacter (say cam-pie-low-bak-ter)

E coli (say ee-koh-lye)

To keep away from these bad germs you need to prepare, cook and store foods properly.

If you are vomiting and have diarrhoea you can become dehydrated. (Our topic on Dehydration can give you more information about this.) Drink water - even if you only keep sipping it you will be helping your body to keep everything working. Our topic on gastrohas lots in it about what to do for vomiting and diarrhoea.

Be a detective and think about what could you have eaten, did anyone else eat it and are they sick too? Then tell an adult.

Don't panic! It isn't pleasant to be feeling sick and spending so much time in the loo but your body is trying to get all that bad stuff out of you.

If you are feeling a bit feverish and light headed then make sure you sip water.

If your poo has blood in it then tell an adult - you need to see a doctor quickly.

When the weather is hot it is even more important to be careful how you keep food.

Hot weather can make foods go bad very quickly. Those lovely left-overs that you were looking forward to eating the next day can be very bad for you, unless they have been covered up and put back into the fridge very quickly after you had eaten enough the first time.

We've provided this information to help you to understand important things about staying healthy and happy. However, if you feel sick or unhappy, it is important to tell your mum or dad, a teacher or another grown-up.